Union Official Says Increased Retaliation 'A Real Possibility' When Strikers Return to Work
Source: The Nation
Josh Eidelson
11:40 AM: HANOVER, MD - This morning I caught up with United Food & Commercial Workers union Organizing Director Pat ONeill, who said the unprecedented strikes demonstrate the courage of the workers, and shows theyve reached the end of their rope.
Interviewed as a 400-person march wound towards Marylands Capital Plaza Walmart (full report to follow), ONeill said that the bar for today to be judged a success is really just to spread the word, so all the Walmart associates know theyre not alone, that they are supported by the communities where they work.
What happens after Black Friday? ONeill, a key strategist in the OUR Walmart campaign, answered simply, What the workers want is a dialogue with the company, and to let their voices be heard.
I asked ONeill whether, when todays strikers return to work, retaliation from Walmart would get worse before it gets better. I think thats a real possibility, he said. I think that would be a mistake for Walmart to do that. I think the workers are showing that theyre not going to be silenced
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.thenation.com/blog/171430/black-friday-begins-early-walmart-workers-already-striking-least-seven-states#
Check this space for updates throughout the day, and please send tips to jeidelson at gmail dot com.
Stargazer09
(2,132 posts)And I'm sure the striking workers will suddenly find themselves out of jobs, despite any worker protection laws that are in place.
I can only hope that things will get better, but I'm not sure that Walmart can be beaten by the workers alone.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)ya think.
BullyMart will do all they can to take it out on ALL workers.
Sivafae
(480 posts)BanTheGOP
(1,068 posts)It is imperative that we have a unified union presence across the country, with President Obama issuing an Executive Order if necessary to prevent hardships and deprivations to the workers whom are under the republican party's flagship retail drone. This weekend, I will be at the Long Beach Walmart, on the sidewalk, vocally demeaning the franchise, and I hopefully will get a lot of workers, most of them minorities, to join in. Should be fun to participate!
plethoro
(594 posts)I was at the Carson Mall Store this morning at about 6:00. There were police there but no protesters.
BanTheGOP
(1,068 posts)plethoro
(594 posts)they remodeled it. Good luck to you.